New Releases by Rebecca Rupp

A comprehensive guide to designing homeschool curriculum, from one of the country’s foremost homeschooling experts—now revised and updated! Homeschooling can be a tremendous gift to your children—a personalized educational experience tailored to each kid’s interests, abilities, and learning styles. But what to teach, and when, and how? Especially for first-time homeschoolers, the prospect of tackling an annual curriculum can be daunting. In Home Learning Year by Year, Rebecca Rupp presents comprehensive plans from preschool through high school, covering integral subjects for each grade, with lists of topics commonly presented at each level, recommended resource and reading lists, and suggestions for creative alternative options and approaches. Included, along with all the educational basics, are techniques and resources for teaching everything from philosophy to engineering, as well as suggestions for dealing with such sensitive topics as sex education. Now revised throughout with all-new updates featuring the most effective and up-to-date methods and reading guides to homeschool your child at all ages, Home Learning Year by Year continues to be the definitive book for the homeschooling parent.

In the tradition of epic fantasy fiction comes a breathtaking adventure peopled by unforgettable characters - in a mythical world threatened by an unspeakable secret. The world is drying. Twelve-year-old Tad - who is only a few inches tall - doesn’t even notice it at first. Busy practicing with his new spear, arguing with his sister, Birdie, and living the normal life of a youngling of the Fisher Tribe, he thinks little of a stream slowed to a trickle here, a pond suddenly dwindling there. But Tad begins to have strange flashbacks - glimpses of the past that he knows can’t possibly be his own. With these "rememberings" haunting him, he and Birdie begin an adventure marked by great sorrows, fierce battles, and unbreakable friendships. In this remarkable rite of passage, Tad grows to know who he really is and what his destiny holds. For only he can restore the water and save the forests and animals and Tribes. Only he can retrieve the Waterstone.

In the long-awaited follow-up to The Dragon of Lonely Island, three adventurous children find further intrigue on a tiny Maine island where a talkative three-headed dragon lives out its days. With their parents off to London on a special trip, Hannah, Zachary, and Sarah Emily are thrilled to be going back to Aunt Mehitabel’s house on Lonely Island. Though their favorite aunt can’t join them, they know their tummies will soon be filled with Mrs. Jones’s mouthwatering cookies and their minds full of Fafnyr, the fabulous creature they befriended last summer. The glittering three-headed dragon remains safely hidden in a cave high above the ocean, waiting for the children’s return. But is Fafnyr’s hiding place safe? As the children nervously discover, a white yacht is now anchored off the private island, and a crew led by billionaire J. P. King has been scouring onshore, supposedly watching birds. The children have promised to keep Fafnyr’s existence a secret, but it’s hard to know if the smooth-talking Mr. King is friend or foe. Only Fafnyr’s own stories can lead the Dragon Friends to the heart of the mystery, as they teach the children to think more clearly, to make the right decisions - and to discover what’s worth fighting for.

Family changes bring plenty to dislike — and a chance to grow into acceptance — as a spirited girl speaks her mind with honesty and wit. Sarah Simpson’s Rules for Living: 1. Don’t lie. 2. Don’t trust anybody but cats. 3. Don’t expect happy endings. 4. Drink skim milk. 5. Avoid blondes. Sarah Simpson loves to make lists. She has lists of the things she doesn’t like about her father’s new wife and her mother’s new boyfriend, and reasons why life is just plain unfair. But through new friendships, a school play, and adjusted relationships, Sarah begins to realize that change might not be such a horrible thing — and that families come in all shapes and sizes. Is it time for Sarah Simpson’s REVISED Rules for Living?

When Daniel’s brother Eli is killed at war, Daniel considers the history of unusual fatalities to determine what makes a death — or a life — matter. Some people die heroically, others accidentally. When Daniel Anderson’s older brother dies, he wonders which category Eli’s death falls into. In an attempt to understand, Danny creates a Book of the Dead — an old binder that he fills with details about dead people, how they died, and, most important, for what purpose. Time passes, and eventually Daniel is prompted to look up from his notebook of death and questions to make new friends and be swept into their imaginings. With gentle humor and genuine emotion, Rebecca Rupp examines the questions that arise following a profound loss and the moments that start life rolling again.

Discover why Roman gladiators were massaged with onion juice before battle, how celery contributed to Casanova’s conquests, how peas almost poisoned General Washington, and why some seventeenth-century turnips were considered degenerate. Rebecca Rupp tells the strange and fascinating history of 23 of the world’s most popular vegetables. Gardeners, foodies, history buffs, and anyone who wants to know the secret stories concealed in a salad are sure to enjoy this delightful and informative collection.

Seventh-grader Octavia puzzles over life''s biggest questions when her mother seems to find the answers in a conservative Christian church, while her artist father believes the writings of Henry David Thoreau hold the key.

After a gang of talking rats transports a young boy to the moon, he embarks on a series of adventures and gains a new perspective on the concept of time.

Three children spend the summer with their mother on a secluded island where they discover a three-headed dragon living in a cave and learn what it means to be a Dragon Friend.

Achtergronden bij natuurverschijnselen thematisch verteld aan de hand van de vier elementen.

The stuff the earth is made of. In a tour de force of writing Rebecca explores the science, the scientists, the legends and the stories connected with water (from tidal waves to the health-giving properties of bathing), air (from hurricanes to humming bees, fire (from the invention of cooking to recent discoveries about lightning) and earth (from earthquakes to catapults). The ancient Greeks saw the world as made up of the four elements and in many ways, in spite of all advances in science, that is how most of us directly experience the world. Rupp presents Greek science and modern atomic theory, Aristotle and the periodic table. The substantial sections devoted to each elements range widely from creation myths and volcanoes to plate tectonics and the tides. And at the core of each is a wonderfully informative discussion of every aspect: thus in ''Water'' she talks of drinking water and mineral water and thermal springs, of bathing and swimming (by humans and animals and fish), of snow and ice and refrigeration, of rain and hydrographics, of waves and the oceans. Finally, ''The elements are more than the useful shorthand of chemical equations. The four, in their symbolic aspect, are the romance at the heart of science.'' From atomic theory to oxygen bars, from supervolcanoes to the anatomy of the candle, Four Elements is a multifaceted journey of discovery through the elements, real and symbolic, that shape our lives. No one will leave this book without feeling hugely enriched.

Nur Quap kann die Welt vor dem Vertrocknen retten: Eine Elster findet einen schneeweissen Kristall: Doch als sie ihn aus Versehen ins Wasser fallen lässt, löst sie grosses Unheil aus: Die betörende Hexe Azabel erwacht. Ihr Ziel ist es, alles Wasser an sich zu binden, so dass die Welt vertrocknet. Quap gehört zu den Fischen, er ist im Wasser zu Hause. An seinem elften Geburtstag bekommt er neue Fähigkeiten und Kräfte, denn auf ihn wartet eine grosse Aufgabe: Er ist der Sagamor, und nur er kann die Welt retten. Zusammen mit seiner Schwester Feder, den Freunden Ditani von den Jägern und Will von den Grabern erlebt er viele Abenteuer, überwindet manche Hindernisse, auch im gegenseitigen Verstehen, kämpft gegen die Greller und gelangt schliesslich zum Ziel. Dabei helfen auch Tiere, der Wachfrosch Pippit, Wolfstöter, der Falke und Brombeere, das Wiesel. Denn Quap und alle seine Freunde sind nicht grösser ale ein paar Zentimeter! Eine spannende Fantasygeschichte auch schon für jüngere Leser/-innen. Ab 9 Jahren, ausgezeichnet, Irene Beglinger-Flückiger.

Discusses weather facts and science and offers twenty-two experiments that explain the basic concepts of weather science.

Cet ouvrage divertissant est rempli de renseignements fascinants, de légendes et d''anecdotes surprenantes sur les oiseaux. Apprenez à tailler une plume, à confectionner des aliments pour oiseaux, à bâtir une mangeoire et une cabane d''oiseaux, et même un nid ! Ce livre plaira à tous ceux, petits et grands, qui ont le don de l''émerveillement !

In Getting Started on Home Learning, homeschooling expert Rebecca Rupp provides much needed advice and information to all parents who''ve ever considering teaching their children at home. She dispels myths, helps readers navigate tricky laws, and provides guidance on how and where to find the resources necessary to put together a well-rounded curriculum. This guide, the indispensable companion volume to the popular The Complete Home Learning Sourcebook (Three Rivers Press, 1998), provides all the information needed to make an informed decision. Topics include: Why Homeschool? Homeschooling and the Law The S Question: What About Socialization? The Bottom Line: How Much Does It All Cost? Homeschooled Teenagers: On to College?-- Tools of the Trade

Fascinating science blends with engaging prose in this highly entertaining exploration of how memory works-- and how to make it work better. In this extraordinary book, scientist Rebecca Rupp explains how and why memory works the way it does. What are the chemical processes that occur in the brain when we remember--and how do they account for the "absentminded" or "steel trap" qualities in an individual? Rupp also tackles topics that have been the subject of intense public debate. She examines the concepts of repressed and fantasized memories, such as ones of alien abduction: are they the result of horrifying experiences that have been shunted off into the depths of the unconscious? Or are they fantastic constructs of the human mind? Memory decays with awful rapidity, and a vital aspect of the study of memory is its loss. Why does memory change as we grow older? How can we improve our ability to remember, and how can we keep forgetfulness at bay? Committed to Memory features useful memory-improving techniques and tricks to remember essential information. Learn to defeat that common bugbear of memory, the forgetting of proper names; pick up a quick trick for remembering telephone numbers; and find out how to enrich your mind (and impress your friends and colleagues) by memorizing lengthy poems. Tips like these lend a practical edge to this illuminating voyage through a largely uncharted realm. HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED . . . ̧ Why you can remember your first date but not what you had for lunch last Tuesday? ̧ What slugs, bugs, and squirrels have to tell us about human memory? ̧ Why we can''t remember people''s names? ̧ How the smell of pine trees or buttered popcorn can help you remember? ̧ Why dieting may make you forget? ̧ Why practice makes perfect? ̧ How a spell of the moody blues can affect your memory? ̧ Why dreaming may help us to remember?

Lists all the resources needed to create a balanced curriculum for homeschooling--from preschool to high school level.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED . . . Why you can remember your first date but not what you had for lunch last Tuesday? What slugs, bugs, and squirrels have to tell us about human memory? How the smell of pine trees or buttered popcorn can help you remember? Why dieting may make you forget? Why practice makes perfect? How a spell of the moody blues can affect your memory? In this extraordinary book, scientist Rebecca Rupp sheds light on one of the most mysterious and fascinating aspects of the brain: our memory. What are the chemical processes that occur in the brain when we remember? Why does memory change as we grow older? How We Remember and Why We Forget also features useful memory-improving techniques and tricks to remember essential information. Learn to defeat that common bugbear of memory, the forgetting of proper names; pick up a quick trick for remembering telephone numbers; and find out how to enrich your mind (and impress your friends and colleagues) by memorizing lengthy poems. Tips like these lend a practical edge to this illuminating exploration of a largely uncharted realm..

A compendium of facts about birds, with projects to do. Col. illus., index. U.S. bias. 9-14 yrs.

A former research biologist tells the little-known life stories of 20 common garden vegetables.